riley



(No Model.)

J. A. RILEY & O. S. FREER.

EAR RING. N0. 271,122. Patented Jan. 23, 188 3;

i 5 as Imus 125 TJ' elevation of an ear-ring with thejoint in the in the particular construction and combina- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN. A. RILEY AND CHARLES S. FREER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

: EAR-RING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,122, dated January 23,1883. tilt Application filed May 31, 1881. (No model.)

[[0 all whom it may concern Be .it known that we, JOHN A. RILEY and GHAnLEs S. FREER, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Ear-Rings, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to ear-rings having the ear-wire connected with the body of the article by a spring-hinge; and it consists in an ear-ring in which the ear-wire, pivoted to the body of the article, is combined with a concealed spring located in the body of the article and arranged to act upon the ear-wire to hold it in a closed or in an open position, and also tion of parts in such-an ear-ring whereby the ear-wire, which is kept closed by the spring when in use,when opened for adjustment or for other purpose, remains in that position until changed, and whereby, also, a strong joint without projections is made and the liability of the spring breaking when in use is avoided.

The invention relates, also, to ear-rings or other articles ofjewelry having the joint in the main body of the article.

The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, represent ear-rings embodying the invention, Figure 1 being a top view and Fig. 2 a view in sectional elevation of a ring with the ear-wire pivoted to the body of the article, and Fig. 3 a view in sectional main body of the article. t a

The body of the article is formed of a bent tube, or is made of other suitable form, and provided with a hollow to receive the spring d,which is preferably a spiral spring, as shown. The ear-ring shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will first be described. The'ear-wire b is fastened at the inner end to a ball, 70, whichforms, as it were, an enlargement of the wire,'and may be made in one piece with it. Itis jointed to the body a by means of a pivot-pin, c, that passes through the walls of the body a and through the ball or enlargement k, which is inserted into said body. On this ball or enlargement is a projection or cam-surface, c. A movable piece, f, shown as a .loose ball, is interposed between the spring d and the projection or camsurface 6, and conveys the pressure of the spring to the latter. The projection or camsurface a is formed so that the point thereof in opening and closing the ear-wire passes from one side to the other of the center of the movable piece f. When the ear-wire is opened, therefore, the said piece, being pressed out by the spring (2, acts outside the point and holds it open, and when the ear-wire is closed it acts inside the point and retains the wire in that position.

It is preferred that in opening the point of the projection should pass but little beyond the center of the ball, so that the spring tends to close the article, except when opened nearly or quite to the fullest extent, and this construction is shown. By properly shaping the projection or cam-surface the change could be made to take place at any required point in the act of opening; or, if desired, the projection could be so shaped that the spring would act always to open or always to close the artiole; but in that case the point of the projection must not pass beyond the center of the ball.

The movement of the ear-wire is limited in opening by the contact of the projection e or the ear-wire itself with the connected end of part a, and in closing by the contact of the ear-wire with the opposite end of part 0.

Referring to Fig. 3, the hinge in the body of the article is formed by a tongue, g, on the part b fitting within a slot in the end of the part a and the pivot-pin c passing through the two parts. The tongue 9 is usually formed of a separate piece let into the end of part b and soldered in position; but it can be made in one piece with said part b.

Suitable stops limit the movement of the parts a b on the hinge. The inward movement is limited by contact of the ends of the part awith the inclined shoulders h at the side of the part b, and the outward movement by contact of the projection c with the inner wall of the part a. The tongue g has the same depth and thickness as the slot, so that when the article is closed there are no projections.

The loose ball has special advantages in diminishing wear, as it is free to turn under the action of the cam or projection e. In some cases--as,for example, in an ear-rin g or bracelet in which the interior of the tubular portion is rectangular in cross-section-a loose cylinder with its axis parallel to the pivot-pin might be used with advantages analogous to those obtained with the loose ball. By providin g the ear-wire with a ball or spherical enlargement, 7c, the end of the hollow body is filled, so that there is no opportunity for dirt to penetrate into its interior, as well when the article is opened as when it is closed.

Having thus described our said invention, and the manner of carrying the same into efi'ect, we would observe, in conclusion,that we make no claim herein to improvements shown in Fig. 3 which are not common to Figs. 1 and 2, this matter being reserved to our application of April, 30, 1881, of which this present case is a division; but

We do claim all the new improvements shown in Figs. 1 and 2,01" common to the three figures, to wit:

1. The combination, with the hinged parts of an ear-ring or other article of jewelry, of a spring and a loose ball or other device capable of turning on an axis parallel with that of the hinge, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with two hinged parts of an ear-ring or other article of jewelry, of a spiral spring inclosed in one of said parts and arranged to act upon the other through the medium of a projection or cam-surface, and a loose ball or other device capable of turning on an axis parallel with that of the hinge under the action of said projection or cam-surface interposed between it and said spring, substantially as described.

3. In a spring ear-ring having the ear-wire pivoted to the tubular body of the article and acted upon by a concealed spring, the combination, with the ear-wire, of an enlargement at the inner end of the wire, and a pivot-pin passing through the same, the said enlargement being spherical or of other suitable form, adapted to till the opening in the body in all, positions of the ear-wire, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. RILEY. CHAS. S. FREER.

Witnesses:

JOHN MQOLURE, W. H. S. LEE. 

